Short essays and notes on food, history, and the kitchen.
Where ideas live before they cool into a book.
- Food HistoryMay 21, 2026 · Food History · 5 min
Rice and Empire: How a Single Grain Built More Civilizations Than Any Other
Rice has fed more humans than any other crop in history. The Yangtze valley domesticated it roughly 9,000 years ago, and the way different societies organized themselves around it — Chinese granaries, Japanese koku-measured feudalism, Southeast Asian terraced river valleys — shaped the political geography of monsoon Asia for the next ten thousand years.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 5 min
Risotto allo Zafferano
A creamy, aromatic Italian saffron risotto that embodies the essence of Milanese cuisine.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Sachertorte
Indulge in the rich, chocolatey delight of Sachertorte, a classic Austrian dessert with a glossy chocolate glaze.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 5 min
Salade Niçoise
Salade Niçoise is a French salad featuring tuna, green beans, potatoes, olives, and hard-boiled eggs, showcasing balanced flavors and ingredient layering.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Satsivi (Georgian Walnut Chicken)
Satsivi is a Georgian dish made of chicken coated in a thick walnut sauce, emphasizing emulsification and flavor layering techniques.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Semla
Semla is a Swedish dessert consisting of a cardamom bun filled with almond paste and topped with whipped cream.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Shepherd's Pie
A classic British Shepherd's Pie featuring layers of savory minced lamb topped with creamy mashed potatoes.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Shkmeruli (Georgian Garlic Chicken)
Shkmeruli is a rich and creamy Georgian garlic chicken dish that's easy to prepare and full of flavor.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Sopes
Delight in homemade sopes topped with savory ingredients for a perfect Mexican snack.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Souvlaki
Souvlaki consists of marinated pork or chicken skewers grilled over high heat. It is a traditional Greek dish commonly served with pita and sauces.
- Food HistoryMay 21, 2026 · Food History · 5 min
A Thousand Years of Soy Sauce: From Chinese Jiang to a Global Condiment
Soy sauce is not Japanese in origin. Its ancestor is the Chinese jiang, a class of fermented bean-and-grain pastes documented in the 3rd century BCE. Buddhist monks brought it east to Japan in the Kamakura period, Edo-era Noda and Choshi refined it into modern shoyu, and the Dutch East India Company shipped barrels of it to Europe before most Europeans had ever met a Japanese person.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Spanakorizo
Spanakorizo is a Greek dish combining rice and spinach, seasoned with dill and lemon to enhance flavor and aroma.
- Food HistoryMay 21, 2026 · Food History · 5 min
Sugar and Slavery: The Sweet Tooth With a Cost Most People Have Forgotten
Sugar cane was domesticated in New Guinea, traveled through India and the Arab agricultural revolution, and reached Europe as a medicinal luxury. Then Portuguese plantations on Madeira, Brazil, and the Caribbean turned it into the economic engine of the Atlantic slave trade. Roughly 12.5 million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic; the largest share went to sugar islands.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Swedish Meatballs
Delight in the comfort of homemade Swedish meatballs served with creamy gravy and lingonberry jam.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Tafelspitz
Tafelspitz is an Austrian dish of poached beef served with broth and root vegetables, showcasing techniques in poaching and broth-making.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Tagine de Poulet aux Olives et Citron
Moroccan chicken tagine slow-braised with olives and preserved lemons, showcasing techniques of flavor layering and ingredient pairing.
- Food HistoryMay 21, 2026 · Food History · 5 min
Three Tea Traditions: How the Same Plant Became Three Civilizations
Camellia sinensis, a single species, became Chinese connoisseurship under Lu Yu in the 8th century, Japanese ritual under Sen no Rikyu in the 16th, and the British imperial commodity that triggered the Opium Wars in the 19th. The leaf was the same. What three societies made of it was opposite.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Tiroler Gröstl
Tiroler Gröstl is an Austrian dish made by sautéing cooked potatoes, beef, and onions together, utilizing leftover ingredients.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Tres Leches Cake
A luscious Tres Leches Cake soaked in three types of milk, topped with whipped cream and a hint of cinnamon.
- Recipe NoteMay 21, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Vitello Tonnato
Vitello Tonnato is a classic Italian cold starter featuring tender veal paired with a creamy tuna sauce.